Dawnings: March 2013

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Transitions

Four weeks from today is my first day back at work. The job I get paid to do, but the one that isn't my most important job any more. I'm looking forward to being around adults and someone actually responding when I say something. That will be a nice change. It will also be nice to have a change of atmosphere and responsibilities. My responsibilities at home such as cleaning, etc., will be waiting for me, but I won't be looking at them 24/7. But I'm also getting less time with my most important people.

Today I'm nervous and sad. There are so many changes taking place that day, four weeks from now. There are so many changes taking place from now till then and from then onward for awhile. Easton will start daycare again and hopefully feel comfortable with old friends and caregivers. Responsibilities will shift within our household. Things will get more hectic. I'll wonder how I'm going to do it all. I've done this before. Twice. I know how it's going to go down. Obviously there is one more person in the equation now, so that will change things. But I just need to get through the next three months and routine will be with us again, hopefully.

The biggest change will be for Vy. Like I said, I've done this before. That doesn't necessarily make it easier, but I know what to expect. Her life is going to change a lot. She is going to stay with a good friend of ours during the day, which is such a blessing. She will have a wonderful time and will be well cared for, but it will be different. Her mama won't be there. I think we've only been apart for 4 hours at a time for her whole life. In the next few weeks, we will also be weaning during the day, maybe entirely. That will be a huge change. I expect that she will be super clingy and up even more during the night. And I will feel super guilty.

I wish I could prepare her. Or that she would know that I'm always coming back. But I guess she has to learn by experience, and probably tears.

Ack! I just realized that it is only three weeks. Do not panic. Do not panic.

Friday, March 8, 2013

Tag Along

Vyanna can now walk from one piece of furniture to another. She can be holding onto something, turn and walk to us. She can stand on her own, dancing around, for more than just a couple seconds.

It's going to be soon.

When I'm busy cleaning in the kitchen or making a meal, she is usually right beside me digging in the fridge, slobbering on the clean silverware in the diswasher that I'm emptying or looking for scraps under the table. But her favorite thing is to grab my pant leg as I walk past. She is quick, especially when she has a goal in mind - usually eating. So she grabs my pant leg and tries to walk along behind me. It's no use trying to get her to let go, there will just be screams and more grabbing. So we walk along to the next place. Of course, she takes baby steps - cuz she's a baby - so I have to as well. I'm sure it looks really really ridiculous. Or cute, depending on your perspective.

But it also reminds me that soon she isn't going to need me to help her walk anymore. Walking isn't a baby thing. It's a little girl thing. And that just means that my baby is growing up. Sigh.

Cassia's 7th Birthday

Cassia turned 7 on February 14th. She's our Valentine's baby. This year she wanted a fairy cake. I hadn't tried to make people before, but I thought I'd give it a try. I did NOT attempt to give them a face because fairies are elusive by nature and it would totally take away their mystical essence to give them a face. And come on, that's a little too ambitious for the first time (i.e. they looked horrid!).

The bare stump. I used Chocolate Marshmallow Fondant, then scored it to give it texture, then painted it with watered down food coloring.

Etched a fairy door.

Fairy #1

She is made of Modeling Chocolate, with fondant hair and gum paste wings.

Fairy #2

Everything else was made of modeling chocolate, except the flowers and butterflies were gumpaste. Oh, and the rocks are chocolate rocks, bought as is.

Our snacks were: Gnome Hats (Bugles), Twigs (pretzel sticks), Toadstools (marshmallow "stalks" with apple tops), Pixie Punch (pink lemonade) and Morning Dew (water)

One activity was decorating Fairy Wands. Mom was helping with that. But all my pictures have other kids, so I didn't want to post them. This activity was the Fairy Dust station. Each fairy got a container and picked which glitter they wanted. Then it went in the Fairy House and Cassia used her Fairy Wand to turn it into actual Fairy Dust.

Instead of party favors, we got wings from the dollar store and made fairy wands for them to decorate. I wouldn't have gotten them all done if it wasn't for Mom's help. Vyanna had the flu the week before and threw off my timeline!

And, yes, there are a lot of wings there. We thought we'd invite all the girls from Cassia's class, thinking that surely some wouldn't be able to make it. They all came except for one - 13 little girls. Next year I think we'll have 3.

Cassia had a great time at her party and loved her cake! Can't believe my oldest is 7 years old and in Grade 1! Both spunky and sweet, we love you Cassia!

Some Pics from 2013

Growing up so fast...

Wanted to drink from Mom's emtpy coffee cup.

Already knows how to text. Well, maybe not, but she can swipe!

Yet still a babe...

Got caught eating play-doh.

Was not happy it was taken away.

Here is a video to show you how Vyanna opens her pop-up toy! :)

Cassia was home sick and decided she wanted to wash dishes.

Easton decided he wanted to sled into the house.

It took him so long to get the sled from sliding backwards, and then only .5 seconds to slide.

But I missed getting a picture of his big smile at the "bottom".

Skating at The Forks

Easton just learned to stay up on skates on his own, but he loved this thing!

"Warming up" with ice cream and smoothies after the skate.

The skaters warming up (although Vy didn't skate!).

The Watchers

Okay, I might be up to date now. The pictures told the story for the past year, now I'll try to actually add posts with words too!

November and December 2012

Pictures say a 1000 words? Then I don't need to comment too much on these! I would have had separate posts about these events, but if I went back to all of them, I would never get started on the present!

Cutie Pie at 7 Months

First snow - Easton loves to shovel

(Even though he told Grandpa very seriously

that he is "sick and tired" of shoveling the snow for us by himself.

Mimi making Christmas goodies

Pawpaw playing with Vy

Uh oh! Starting to crawl and pull up.

Our Christmas at home.

Christmas at the Warkentins

Cassia's School Concert - she is the white bird

Christmas at the Myers'

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Easton's 4th Birthday Cake

I love making special cakes for the kids' birthdays. The kids love to see them in the process of being made and like to help as well. And they love watching Cake Boss with me! :) This year, for his fourth birthday, Easton requested a Lightning McQueen cake. Then he kept adding requests: